Todd Chrisley thought reality TV was dramatic — but as it turns out, prison is giving it a run for its money. The “Chrisley Knows Best” star, who started his sentence in January 2023 for financial crimes – particularly multimillion-dollar bank fraud and tax evasion – along with his wife, Julie Chrisley, is having a rough time behind bars, and that’s an understatement. And if you ask his daughter, Savannah Chrisley, things are only going from bad to worse.
Now, of course, prison was never going to be a luxury retreat for him (just ask Martha Stewart), but Todd claims his time at Pensacola Federal Prison Camp in Florida has been downright brutal. In a December 2023 interview with Chris Cuomo (and not even a year behind bars), he described prison conditions that sound reminiscent of a horror story. Blackmail? Check. Disgusting food? Double check. “There was a photograph taken of me while I was sleeping and sent to my daughter, asking for $2,600 a month for my protection,” he said. As for the meals, Todd swears they’ve expired by at least a year, and inmates are basically being starved. “These men are getting — I don’t know — they are getting a thousand calories a day,” he added.
His only workaround was buying food from the commissary — until that option was restricted, too. And that was just year one. Now, Savannah says his prison guards are out to make his life even harder. Every update sounds more miserable than the last, and if what he’s saying is true, he’s got plenty of reasons to be counting the days until he’s out. At this point, “Chrisley Knows Survival” might be the only thing keeping him going.
Per Savannah, Todd’s fellow inmates are trying to sabotage her father
Even after Todd Chrisley exposed the grim reality of his prison life, things have only gone downhill. In her own interview with Chris Cuomo, Savannah Chrisley claimed that prison guards have been making life even harder for him as payback for speaking out — and now, they’re apparently going after his friends, too. “Yes, the retaliation has gotten extremely worse,” she said. “They’re trying to — they’re retaliating against friends of his, just in hopes that they would turn on my father for some odd reason, but it’s not stopping us.”
Naturally, Pensacola Federal Prison Camp is denying everything. Officials insist that Todd’s claims are completely false and that no mistreatment is occurring. “It is the mission of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) to operate facilities that are safe, secure, and humane,” they said in a statement shared with the Daily Mail. “All allegations of misconduct, including retaliation, are referred for administrative action and/or criminal prosecution if warranted.”
The only potential silver lining? The prison is shutting down, meaning Todd is getting transferred. But whether that means better conditions or just another nightmare is anyone’s guess. “It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Savannah said in an episode of her “Unlocked” podcast. “I am happy it’s closing down because no human being should be subjected to the conditions or treatment that facility gave. I’m sad that it’s closing down because I don’t know where he’s gonna go. I don’t know where they’re gonna try and put him.” Perhaps Todd will only have to hope against hope that his next stop isn’t just a different circle of hell.
